οὐ

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 οὐ

   ou

   not
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 οὐ μετὰ ὄχλου οὐδὲ μετὰ θορύβου,

   ou me-TA O-khlou ou-DE me-TA tho-RY-bou

   not with a crowd nor with uproar
3. sentence🔊 ἐν ⸀αἷς εὗρόν με ἡγνισμένον ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ, οὐ μετὰ ὄχλου οὐδὲ μετὰ θορύβου,

   en hais heu-RON me hê-gnis-ME-non en tÔ hi-e-RÔ ou me-TA O-khlou ou-DE me-TA tho-RY-bou

   in which they found me having been purified in the temple not with a crowd nor with uproar

Exegesis

The two coordinated, negated prepositional phrases ou meta ochlou oude meta thorybou {οὐ μετὰ ὄχλου οὐδὲ μετὰ θορύβου | ou me-tá ókh-lou ou-dé me-tá tho-rý-bou} employ ou and oude to form a correlative “not … nor …” structure, emphasizing total absence of both a crowd and any disturbance. The repetition of meta with genitives ochlou and thorybou creates rhythmic parallelism and focuses attention on the lack of social agitation, supporting Paul’s legal defense that his presence in the temple was peaceful and orderly. In translation, the relative clause is preserved, while the double negation is rendered by paired negatives (“not … nor” / “without … and without”) to maintain the emphatic exclusion of disorder.

Root and etymology

kategoréō🔊 κατηγορέωka-tē-go-ré-ō

“to accuse, bring charges”

• 🔊 κατήγοροςkategorosaccuserRevelation 12:10